Suidakra - Crógacht lyrics
Tracks 01. Slán
02. Conlaoch 03. Isle Of Skye 04. Scáthach 05. Feats Of War 06. Shattering Swords 07. Ár Nasc Fola 08. Gilded Oars 09. Baile's Strand 01. Slán
[Instrumental]
02. Conlaoch
I am history turned into legend
I am victory and fire, the future and desire I am triumph and honour I am memory turned into myth I am Conlaoch On the streams of time I ride My fate unveiled before my eyes Suffering neither rebirth nor demise Death's peace will never be mine While my soul soars high Amazed I glimpse my life pass by Forever proud and ever free I heed the call of the Daoine Sidhe I am history turned into legend I am victory and fire, the future and desire I am triumph and honour I am memory turned into myth I am Conlaoch As I lay slain upon the sacred shore Leaving behind my body From this empty shell to dimensions unknown I still hear my father's grievous roar "I am Cuchulainn Beside the raging sea I'm left to moan Sorrow I am for I brought down my only son A raven I see above the stone" For ages now I watch and learn As history transpires Man's greatest curse is to long For what he can never acquire For ages now I watch and learn As destiny unveils Man's greatest virtue to aspire To chase his dream and make it real I am history turned into legend I am victory and fire, the future and desire I am triumph and honour I am memory turned into myth I am Conlaoch And while my soul soars high By geasa no longer bound I answer the call Of the masters of the mounds I am heir of Dún Dealgan And thus my death was brought about 03. Isle Of Skye
To the Land Of Shadows once he came
Young warrior of Erin With valour, honour and strength Cuchulainn was his name To win the heart of fair Emer The Plain Of Ill-luck he crossed To search for knowledge of war The Perilous Glen he traversed Then guided by Lugh, one fatherly hand His scorched path he followed to the ...Isle Of Skye Yonder, The scholars were gathered Among them Ferdiad, The Firbolg who was his friend: "Welcome Hound of Culan, I hope you'll stay by our side Beyond the Bridge Of Leaps, Scáthach's stronghold you'll find on the ...Isle Of Skye All by yourself you must stride Not challenge fate with false pride Beware of the bridge to reach the far side All by yourself be your own guide To make the Salmon leap up high Scáthach you'll find on the Isle of Skye" Crógacht! Three times over Cuchulainn tried and failed And at the fourth attempt he finally prevailed To the Land Of Shadows once he came Young warrior of Erin With valour, honour and strength Cuchulainn was his name Yonder, The scholars were gathered Among them Ferdiad, The Firbolg who was his friend: "Welcome Hound of Culan, I hope you'll stay by our side Beyond the Bridge Of Leaps, Scáthach's stronghold you'll find on the ...Isle Of Skye" To win the heart of fair Emer The Plain Of Ill-luck he crossed To search for knowledge of war The Perilous Glen he traversed Then guided by Lugh, one fatherly hand His scorched path he followed to the ...Isle Of Skye But little did the hero know What tragedy upon him Fate would one day bestow... 04. Scáthach
Endless their journey had seemed
Slain, beaten, a defeat Exiled from the Scythian steppes they had been No retreat! With four Roman legions hot on their trail Betrayed, beaten, a defeat Two sisters bound for revenge To Alba in strong gales they set sail Young Aoife's lover wavered In a duel, fate would decide The Dacian prince challenged Two chariots would ride No match for the queen The prince soon lay dead This deed of her sister Aoife would never forget Mighty Scáthach, Scythian queen, Fierce Scáthach, I fight for thee Oh listen to me now as I tell her tale Mighty Scáthach, Scythian queen, Fierce Scáthach, I die for thee Oh hear us now as we sing her tale And in turn, I will teach The bravest of thee Who wants to join And once fight for me For Rome will one day Feel the scorn Of a Scythian queen Named Scáthach Now the Picts had been watching For the first time they saw They decided to worship A true goddess in awe Come and live on this island The Picts now cried For we will ever defend On our land of shadows The Roman eagle Shall never descend! Endless their journey had seemed Slain, beaten, a defeat Exiled from the Scythian steppes they had been No retreat! With four Roman Legions hot on their trail Betrayed, beaten, a defeat Two sisters bound for revenge To Alba they set sail Oh hear me now as I sing her tale Mighty Scáthach, Scythian queen, Fierce Scáthach, I die for thee Oh listen to me now as I tell her tale Mighty Scáthach, Scythian queen, Fierce Scáthach, We pray to thee Oh hear us now as we sing her tale And in turn, I will teach The bravest of thee Who wants to join And once fight for me For Rome will one day Feel the scorn Of a Scythian queen Named Scáthach 05. Feats Of War
I bid thee welcome,
Valorous one I scried your arrival And know what must be done So swear your allegiance And you may remain I will give you my guidance For a year and a day Now enter my fortress And stand by my side I've never before Met a warrior so proud Swear your allegiance And you may remain I will give you my guidance For a year and a day Oh brave young Cuchulainn Day by day you learn more Such courage and such vigour I train and I teach you all feats of war Come let me show you Crafts of battle lore Sword-edge and shield rim The grand deeds of war Swear your allegiance And you may remain I give you all my guidance For a year and a day Oh brave young Cuchulainn Day by day you learn more Such strength and such honour I train and I teach you all feats of war Now there's only one skill left Most terrible of all Barbed spear, Gae Bolg The deadliest feat to call You've sworn your allegiance And you have remained I gave you all my guidance For a year and a day So now I will have nothing To teach you no more Such courage and vigour Strength and such honour All heroes shall hear Of your deeds of war The only champion Improved to perfection The greatest warrior you are For now you have learned All my feats of war Now you have learned All my feats of war 06. Shattering Swords
Awake, proud Cuchulainn,
From thy deep dark slumber, Hear the sounds of war-horns And of swords that are shattering Awake, proud Cuchulainn, Haste thee to the battle, Hear Aoife's war-cries echoing And the swords that she's shattering Wielding mighty Dacian steel, She stands victorious on the battlefield No hero, nor Scáthach herself Could ever hope to make her yield For on this day, so many years ago, It happened that her prince was slain Driving his chariot and swinging his sword, Now she seeks vengeance in his name Slay, proud Cuchulainn, Make her warriors bleed Tides of war are turning Three heroes at your feet Now Aoife herself is charging And your sword will soon be shattering Three mighty blows the princess dealt And with the fourth, the warrior fell His weapon, broken off at the hilt, Cuchulainn now would soon be killed Yet, right before the final strike, Aoife heard Scáthach's distant cry: "Ah, look, Aoife's two horses and her chariot They have fallen down the glen and have all perished" As she paused to glance around, Cuchulainn sprang up threw her to the ground, "Life for life", Aoife suddenly cried "Three demands to me", the hero replied: "Give in to Scáthach, Nor ever defy her again, On this island you'll always remain, Bear me a son, Conlaoch be his name!" To all this, Aoife agreed For this brave man who had made her yield Reminded her of her long lost love And finally she found peace 07. Ár Nasc Fola
[Instrumental]
08. Gilded Oars
In this small boat of bronze
I've set sail on a journey beyond Towards a long destined fate In my mind still echo the songs My mother Aoife used to sing Of her life in anger The quest for revenge Of Cuchulainn rising Prevailed in the end Of their bond of blood The birth of their son Named Conlaoch Of the day the time had come For my father to depart To leave behind his blissful life And break my mother's heart Thus on that day my father spoke: "This ring I give you for our child As you raise him, train him well Scáthach will teach the feats, When he's old enough to wear my ring, He must go out to seek his king Yet, three geasa I will put on him: First, He should not give way To any hero from this plane Second, He should never tell his name Through fear to any warrior in this world Third, To any man, however strong He should not refuse a fight For the greatest warrior I want him to be, Even mightier and more fierce than me." And thus I was born and raised Like my father once had imposed With an iron hand I was trained In Scáthach's feats of war In my mind still echo the songs My mother Aoife used to sing Of her life in anger The quest for revenge Of Cuchulainn rising Prevailed in the end Of their bond of blood, The birth of their son Named Conlaoch I am Conlaoch! Then when I was old enough For my thumb to fill the ring Tears sprang from my mother's eyes As I asked her one last time to sing And wave me goodbye As I forever left the Isle of Skye So Erin, here I come Cuchulainn's only son, Rowing towards your sacred shores In this small boat of bronze With gilded oars 09. Baile's Strand
The Red Branch knights are gathered
For Ulster's honour at Baile's strand Hither from across the waves A young boy with a merry face But armed as if for fighting Came onto the shore "Thou shall not land on Erin's soil", Cuinaire cried out, "Until thou hast revealed thy name!" For all you ask I can reveal but I must conceal My name and lineage Nor from my course you can make me stray away For I am under bounds and cannot disobey In battle I will not give way Nor ever will I speak my name If challenged I will draw my blade Here on this strand I will meet my fate I'll only answer with my blade No man can stray me from my way "Then you shall die", Cuinaire replied, "For no one unknown may enter our realm" For Ulster's honour many warriors were sent But to none did he give his unhallowed name To wound them or kill, the spell to fulfil The geasa forced upon his infinite will Any attempt to impede him was doomed and destined to fail I'll only answer with my blade No man can stray me from my way In battle I will not give way Nor ever will I speak my name Finally Cuchulainn himself was summoned, The King had ordered him to defeat this foe And towards tragedy he strode A fierce battle ensued, More than a match for Cuchulainn, The young boy proved Dealing blow after blow, The lad forced Chuchulainn back With a strength and speed The hound of Culan had never met As the battle continued in the water Two times Cuchulainn almost drowned, Yet on the third, he remembered the Gae Bolg And with the strength of the hero's light He threw it through the waves with all his might The Gae Bolg, is it true? Only one may wield it, is it really you? To a tragic end the story seems to have come Together they would have crushed the gates of Rome As Cuchulainn bore the boy in his arms towards the shore He saw his own ring that the brave boy had worn Hence the father realized what he had just done Oh Lord, he had slain his only son! But what he did not know, at that time on that shore Through Elatan's ring Conloach's soul now soared To take his place into myth and memory Amongst the Riders of the Daoine Sidhe |